Clarification: In the Puppy Power section, "thin PC" is used to refer to thin clients that can run Puppy and therefore function as a PC. Sun's thin clients may be different, hence this new thread. Last edited by raffy on Fri 02 Sep 2005, 10:39; edited 1 time in total

I think the confusion you refer to is caused by different definitions of "thin client." My understanding is that a thin client is basically a computer without a hard drive - and perhaps a few other bits - but still capable of somehow being used as a stand-alone computer. Perhaps it is a distinction without a difference, but I believe that what you describe is more properly called a terminal. Thin clients, as I understand them, can be used as terminals but also as computers, for instance with Puppy as the OS.

thin client (computing)
thin client (computing): A server-centric computing model in which the application software, data, and CPU power resides on a network server rather than on the client computer (s). Note 1: This computing philosophy allows administrators to purchase one relatively powerful and expensive server and be confident that any external terminal, regardless of its power or sophistication, can run applications on the server. Most "shopping" Web pages, for example, are thin-client applications (i.e., the client needs nothing more than a browser and a connection to the network to be able to search the "shopping" page and to order products). Local area networks can use thin-client modeling to install only one copy of necessary programs onto the main server for many clients on the network to use. Note 2: Server software is required to interface clients with the software on the server. Synonyms Internet appliance (computing), Internet box (computing), network computer. This HTML version of Telecom Glossary 2K was last generated on Wed Feb 28 15:39:21 MST 2001. References can be found in the Foreword.

Thin clients originally consisted of a monitor and keyboard and a server.

What I referred to as a dumb terminal, that started a big &*itfight with Atang1 and everyone else, would be a more appropiate term but there are also the terms diskless client, slave workstation, netboot client and a heap of others that are describing a workstation that has no means of saving and storing data within itself and so must use a server to store its data.

So it doesn't really matter what terms are used as long as the meaning is clear,it is either a workstation with inbuilt storage capability or a workstation that must save to a separate server.

Diskless comes close to describing it as it implies that there is no internal or external disk medium to save to i.e. no hard drive and no floppy drive and if you are using a CDROM, not a burner, there is no way to save data apart from using a networked server.

Did anyone see the price? Nearly $500 for the basic unit? What a rip-off, you'd be better buying a normal PC -- at least you get a screen with a basic PC. But as someone has pointed out before (I think) this is just a return to the decades old "Dumb terminal" idea of the 70s, except the only difference back then would have been that it would all have been text.

You'd be better off buying an old PC with a copy of linux rather than pay for one of these!

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